Veterinary Medicine

Meaningful science, with students at the helm

With CANINE, a collaboration between the School of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences’ Biology Department, undergraduates are breaking new ground in immunology.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Better prognosticating for dogs with mammary tumors

For dogs with mammary tumors, a course of treatment can depend on a variety of factors, some of which may seem to contradict one another. A new system developed by Penn Vet’s Karin Sorenmo and colleagues can make determining a prognosis and making treatment decisions an easier task.

Katherine Unger Baillie

A roller coaster emergency for Dobby

By the time Dobby arrived at Ryan Hospital’s Emergency Room, he was in a bad way. The two-year-old Welsh Corgi had been vomiting off and on for a few days and was straining to urinate. “He also wasn’t eating,” says owner Zhi Peng Yang, who lives in Philadelphia and rushed Dobby to Penn Vet.

Penn Today Staff

Daisy the goat kid’s harrowing ER visit

Post-birth complications for Daisy the newborn doeling were serious, but quickly assessed for a positive outcome at the New Bolton Center emergency room.

Penn Today Staff

A link between mitochondrial damage and osteoporosis

In healthy people, a tightly controlled process balances the activity of osteoblasts, which build bone, and osteoclasts, which break it down. Damage to cells’ mitochondria can make that process go awry, meaning exposure to cigarette smoke, alcohol, environmental toxins can increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Watching Sheeba’s eye

A successful surgery on an eye lesion at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital helped Sheeba, a working service dog, so she could get back to work.

Penn Today Staff

A conversation with James Serpell

Welcome to the “office hours” of James Serpell, professor of ethics and animal welfare at the School of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Center for the Interaction of Animals & Society.

Brandon K. Baker



In the News


Science Alert

New strain of bird flu in Nevada reveals a concerning mutation

Louise Moncla of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that cows may be more broadly susceptible to bird flu viruses than initially thought.

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The New York Times

How much does breed shape a dog’s health and behavior?

James A. Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that Victorian dog fanciers in the 19th century aimed to engineer the perfect physical specimen rather than creating skilled working dogs.

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The New York Times

‘This is a dangerous virus’

According to Louise Moncla of the School of Veterinary Medicine, reinfections suggest that the H5N1 bird flu virus could circulate on farms indefinitely, creating opportunities for it to evolve into a more dangerous form.

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6ABC.com

Bird flu suspected in deaths of 200 snow geese in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley

Stephen Cole of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that indoor cats are contracting bird flu through raw pet foods of poultry origin or raw milk products.

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CNN

Bird poop may be the key to stopping the next flu pandemic. Here’s why

A study led by Louise H. Moncla of the School of Veterinary Medicine suggests that wild birds are an emerging reservoir for North America’s bird flu virus and that surveillance of migrating birds is critical to stopping future outbreaks.

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The Washington Post

Dogs may be able to communicate by pressing buttons, research suggests

Postdoc Amritha Mallikarjun of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that dogs use buttons as a trained behavior to try and get the things they want.

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